If you have recently lost a loved one, you have many details you need to take care of as you prepare for the final goodbye. One detail you need to attend to is writing your loved one's obituary. It can be very difficult to take an entire life and sum it up on a few paragraphs, or just too overwhelming for you to even have to think about. This article will give you some tips on how you can write a detailed and fitting obituary as you prepare to say goodbye to your loved one.

Check with the Newspaper First

The first thing you want to do is ask the newspaper what their requirements and regulations are regarding obituaries. Some may allow photographs, some may not. You will also want to check with the requirements on the size of the photo and whether or not it can be in color. There may be some extra options involved as well, such as an online version with a guest book, that will allow readers to share their condolences and memories of the deceased. Lastly, there may be a requirements as to how long the obituary can be, so you'll want to know how many words you are allowed before you start to pen your obituary.

Brief Summary of Life

When you start out the obituary, you'll include the name and age of the deceased, as well as how they died. From there, you'll list what the individual did for a living, and perhaps make note of how long they were involved in their job or career. Listing hobbies and things the deceased enjoyed is a nice way to show readers the type of person your loved one was. 

Survivors

After you have listed the summary of the life of your loved one, you'll want to list who survives them. This is helpful because many times readers won't know the deceased personally, but in reading the details of the deceased they may recognize that they work with one of the deceased's children. People will want to know the names of the survivors so they know how to properly address a sympathy card or gift.

Arranged Services

The last thing you want to list in the obituary is the date and time of services, the location of services, and what individuals can do for donations, if you're asking people to donate somewhere in lieu of flowers.

Any assistance you may need can certainly be found with the funeral home you chose, like Sturtevant Funeral Home.